Washing-machine.



J. V. KRANEBIEL.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATloN FILED Nov.1a, 1912.

Patented July 7, 1914.

Zigi J. V. KRANEBIBL.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOT/".18, 1912.

.Patented July 7, 1914.

3 SHEBTS-SHEET 2.

.//7 061/2! 1 x Sh m YJ@ m1 abi el QVI/ua,

J. V. KRANEBIEL.

WASHING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED Nov.18, 1912.

Patented July 7; 19M.

s SHEETS-SHEET a'.

JOHN V. KRANEBIEL, 0F WILLIVAMSVLLE, NEW YORK.

WASHING-MACHINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented July '7 1914.

Application led November 18, 1912. Serial No. 731,931.

To all whom it may concern.'

Be itknownthat I, JOHN V. KRANEBIEL, a. citizen of the United States, residing at Williamsville, 'in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Washing- Machines, of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in washing machines especially adapted for public laundries and the object of the invention is to facilitate the washing and handling of large quantities of laundry and to make it feasible to do individual or family washings separately.

A further object is to provide a simple and efficient laundry washing equipment having certain new and useful features.

To these ends the invention consists in a construction and arrangement whereby a plurality of movable tubs may be employed and may be brought one at a time into operative relation with fixed power means for beating or pounding articles placed in the tubs and also for actuating agitating devices in the tubs.

The invention'further consists in other matters hereinafter set forth, all as more particularly set forth in the appended claims reference being had to the accompanying drawings in which- Figure 1 is an end elevation of power beating and driving mechanism with a tub in operative relation thereto; Fig. 2 is a plan View of the same; and Fig. 3 a front elevation showing a tub in vertical section.

As shown in the drawings 1 represents a cylindrically sha ed tub for containing water and the clothing to be washed. This tub may be of any desired form or construction but is preferably made with a sheet metal body and secured to wooden ends 2 which are provided with hollow trunnions 3 to engage open bearing brackets 4 upon a truck 5. Within the tub is a suitable agitator or stirring device for clothing or articles to be washed which consists of a flat bar 6 bent into U-shape with its upwardly extending ends secured within channels 7 in heads 8 on shafts 9 by means of caps 10 secured to the inner sides of the heads and clamping the ends of the bar within the channels. The caps 10 are held by screw bolts 11 so that they may be loosened :1nd thc b ar adjusted to raise or lower it lallel wooden bars extending longitu inally of thetub with the adjacent ends of the two series spaced apart. Each bar or beater 15 is attached to the head 14 by means of a rod 16 having a universal joint connection 17 with the bar at its lower end and eXtending upward through transverse bars 18 of the head and provided with nuts or other .securing means 19 on their upper ends.

These rods are free to move longitudinally through the bars 18 and such'movement is resisted by springs 20 coiled on the rods between the lower edges of the bars 18 and the up er ed es of the beaters 15.

The eater eads are carried and actuated by-means of rocker bars 21 which are pivframe 24 is secured to the floor and is pro-l vided with inclined bearing slots 25 for a fulcrum-shaft 26 upon which the rocker bars are pivotally supported intermediate their ends, said shaft extending through a longitudinal slot 27 in each rocker bar and adjustable therein when said fulcrum shaft is adjusted within its bearing slots on the frame. Links 28 are pivotally connected at one end to the upper ends of the standards 23 and at their opposite ends to upward extensions of the frame 24-to form a guide for the upper ends of the standards and cause the beaters to be raised in a substantially vertical position when the rocker bars are actuated by means of pitmen 29 pivotally attached to their rear ends by means of a transverse shaft 30 passing through eyes in said ends and through vertical guide slots 31 in the'frame 24. The lower ends of the pitmen are connected in the usual manner to crank disks 32 and 33 secured to the ends of a shaft 34 mounted in suitable bearings upon the frame. The crank disk 33 is provided with gear teeth on its periphery to engage the teeth of a large gear 35 secured upon a driving shaft 36 mounted in suitable bearings on the supporting frame forwardly of the shaft 34. This driving shaft is provided with a belt pulley 37 at one end and upon its opposite end is secured a crank disk 38 to Which the rack bar 13 is pivotally attached.

The fulcrum shaft 26 is shifted in' its bearing` slot and held in its adjusted position by means of levers 39 having forked upper ends to embrace the shaft and rigidly secured at their lower ends to a rock shaft 4() mounted in suitable bearings on the base of the frame. n provided at one end with a hand lever al carrying a latch 4:2 to engage a notched sector 43 secured to the frame. By means of the hand lever and its latch and sector, the arms 39 may be moved to move the shaft 26 along its bearing slot and then locked in the position to which it is adjusted so that the fulcrum of the rocker bars may be shifted at will to change the length of the stroke or lift of the beater. i By reason of the inclination of the bearing slots 25 the beater Will always be lowered to a certain point Within the tub regardless of the position of the fulcrum shaft but when said shaft is adjusted toward the forward ends of the bearing slots the vertical lift of the beater will be shortened. It is only necessary that the beaters be lifted clear of the tub as shown in Fig. vl, when it is desired to get to the interior of the tub or to move it out of the Way. During the operation of Washing, the beater is preferably lifted a distance to correspond to the amount of clothing in the tub and is neverdifted clear of the tub during th'e operation as it would be a waste of power and would cause water to splash over the edge of the tub. A very quick adjustment of the stroke of the beater is secured in this manner.

The rack bar 13 which engages the gear l2 to turn the agitator G within the tub, is actuated directly from the power shaft 36 and the agitator will thus be swung in timed relation to the movement of the beater, the gears and being proportionedito give the desired timing. 'Ihe agitator bar 6 sweeping` the circular bottom of the tub opcrates to lift the clothing and turn it over so that the beater will engage every piece and thoroughly pound the mass to Work out every particle of dirt.

By supporting the beater and the actuating mechanism for the agitator in the tub, upon a fixed frame which is entirely independent of the tub, any number of these tubs may be used in conjunction with the one beater and this arrangement makes it feasik ble to do individual or family. washings in separate lots, only one washing being put into a tub at a time. As soon as the dirt has been thoroughly worked out of the clothing by the beater, said beater is ra'ised lby adjusting the hand lever Il and the rack har is swung out of engagement with the gear 1;. 'Ille tub muy then be run upon its truck This rock shaft isA from beneath the beater and another tub at once placed in operative position and the f beater again set in motion Without the necessity for Waiting to remove the Washed clothing from the first tub. An almost continuous operation is thus secured and the Work of Washing greatly facilitated.

Obviously the actuating and carrying mechanism for raising and lowering the lbeater and the means for driving the agitator in the tub may be variously arranged and constructed and other changes may be made in the construction and arrangement of parts Without departin of my invention. I there ore do not limit myself to the particular form 0r arrangement shown.

Having thus fully described my invention what I claim is l. In a washing machine, the combination of a tub, an agitator within the tub adapted to'sweep the bottom thereof, a fixed frame independent of the tub, a beater adapted to enter said tub, means on the frame for supporting and actuating the beater, drive mechanism on the frame for actuating said means, and a member actuated by the driving mechanism adapted to bc brought 'into driving relation With said agitator to actuate the same.

2. In a washing machine, the combination of a tub, an agitator in the tub adapted to sweep across the bottom thereof, a beater movable upwardly and downwardly in the tub, and means for actuating tho beater and agitator in timed relation to each other.

In a washing machine, the combination of a tub having an open top, a beater movable in the tub through the open top, a rocker member for actuating the beater, means for rocking said member, and a shiftable fulcrum for said rocker member to change the length of stroke of movement of the beater.

fl. In a Washing machine, the combination with a tub having an open top, of a beater adapted to be passed into the open top of the tub, avsupporting frame, a rocker bar pivotally supported upon the frame, a vertical standard on the beater to Which the rocker bar is pivotally attached at one end, a link bar extending substantially parallel to the rocker bar and pivotally attached at its ends to the standard and frame, and driving mechanism on the frame for actuating the rocker bar.

5. In a washing machine, the combination with a tub open at its top, of a beater reciproeable into and out of the tub, a vert-ical standard on the beater, a supportinoa frame having inclined' bearing slots, a fulcrum shaft movable in the bearing slots, a rocker bar having a longitudinal slot through which the il'ulcrum shaft extends and pivotall attached at one end to the standard o the from the spirit moana? beater, means on the frame for actuating the rocker bar, and means for adjusting the fulcrum shaft in its bearing slots in the frame.

6. In a washing machine, the combination with a tub having an open top, of a washing member, a supporting frame formed with inclined bearing slots, a fulcrum member engaging and movable in said slots, a rocker bar ivotally supported by said fulcrum mem er interme late its ends, and pivotally attached to the washing member at one end, driving mechanism pivotally attached to the opposite''end of said rocker bar, and a member havin a forked end to engage the fulcrum mem er for adjusting the same in its bearing slots, and means for holding the forked member in the position to which it is adjusted.

7. In a washing machine, the combination of a cylindrical tub having an open top, an agitator member in the tub having end pivot bearings positioned in the longitudinal axis of the tub and formed with laterally extending portions and a connecting portion adapted to swing adjacent to the inner curved surface of the tub, `when the agitator is turned, and means exteriorly of the tub connected to one of the ends of the agitator to t-urn the same.

8. In a washing machine, the combination with a. cylindrical tub having an open top, a U-sha ed agitator member in the tub having en pivot bearings positioned in the longitudinal axis of the tub, a washing member movable upwardly and downwardly within the tub through its open top, and means for actuating the washing member upwardly and downwardly in the tub and swinging the agitator in the tub in timed relation to eachother. i

9. In a washing machine, the combination with a tub, lof a fixed supporting frame formed with inclined bearing slots and vertical guide slots, a beater adapted to pass into the tub through its open top and provided with a vertical standard, a linkba-r connected at its ends to said frame and the upper end of said standard, a rocker bartv pivotally attached at one end to the stand?" ard and formed with a longitudinal slot intermediate its ends, a fulcrum shaft passing through the bearing slots in the`frame and the longitudinal slot in the rocker bar, a shaft engaging the rear end of the rocker bar and guide in the vertical slots in the frame, pitmen attached at one end to said shaft, means for actuating the pitmen, a shifting member having the forked upper ends to engage the fulcrum shaft and move the same along its bearing slots, and means for moving the shifting member and holdin the same in the position to which it is adjusted. r

l0. In a washing machine, the combination of a tub, an agitator in the tub adapted to sweep the bottom thereof, means atan end of said tub to impart movement to said agin tator, a fixed supporting frame and means operatable from said frame and capable of lbeing swung into and out of engagement with the first mentioned means for imparting movement to said agitator.

11. In a washing machine, the combination of a portable t-ub, an agitator in the tub and y adapted to sweep the bottom thereof, a fixed supporting frame, and a rest bar operatable from said frame and capable of being swung into and out of operative relation with an end of said tub for imparting movement to the agitator therein.

In testimony whereof I alix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

Jenin v. nnannnrnn.

Witnesses ANNA M. Donn, Lewis E. Fnannms. 

